


A Force to be Reckoned With

by SCAtheWriter



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Incest, Pregnancy, R plus L equals J
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-28 14:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12608268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SCAtheWriter/pseuds/SCAtheWriter
Summary: Winterfell is getting ready to welcome the youngest Targaryen into the world. This 6 part story is told through interactions with those closest to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.





	1. JON

**Author's Note:**

  * For [babycakesbriauna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/babycakesbriauna/gifts).



> This is my first fanfic for ASOIAF so I hope I did it justice. This story follows the stages Danys' pregnancy as she interacts with different people. The chapters will go as follows: Jon, Jorah, Missandei, Tyrion, Sansa, and then Daenerys. I would love feedback if you have it and would be open to adding a character if it was requested. So, let me know!

Daenerys watched his face as it changed. His furrowed eyebrows raising in surprise. His eyes widening. His mouth opening infinitesimally. The picture of shock before he shut down. His facial expressions masked as his eyes screamed for help. Daenerys licked her lips, her hands fumbling with each other as she tried to keep her composure.

“Do you have anything to say?” She tilted her head as a sign of encouragement.

He shook his head. Almost as if he were physically trying to clear it.

“Jon?” She tried again, keeping an eye on his clenched fist.

“With child?” His eyes dropped to her abdomen as they had when she’d first mentioned her conception issues.

“I know what I said. It’s a shock for both of us. I never thought-” Her voice broke as she inhaled a ragged breath.

Jon watched carefully as her façade melted away. Her hand shook as she timidly placed it on her stomach. She looked vulnerable, scared, and incredibly young. Maybe too young for all the life that she had already lived.

 _Aren’t we all?_ Jon asked himself as he exhaled in frustration, running his hand over his face. How could he have done this to her? How could he have done this to their future child? He knew better.

“I don’t want your apologies, Daenerys.” He exhaled, firmly. “It is I that should be begging for _your_ forgiveness.”

He could see the confusion on her face.

“Jon-”

“We knew… _I_ knew it was a possibility.” He ran his hands over his face and began to pace.

Daenerys observed him as he muttered and paced the length of the room with no inkling of what to say to make him feel better. What could she say? He had already refused the apologies that were prepared to pour out of her mouth profusely. A blanket of guilt settled over her the longer she watched him. She had been positive that she would never be called the mother of anything but dragons. And yet…maybe she wouldn’t. The worry she previously felt was back, eating away at the guilt she carried. Forcing Jon into unexpected fatherhood was one thing but what she feared most was his acceptance only to have it crushed by a son that would never outgrow his mother’s womb. Her hands clutched at her abdomen a little tighter. Even the love and loyalty of Jon Snow could not coax a flower from the barren wasteland inside of her.

“Stop pacing!” She startled herself at the tone she was using.

He stopped at once, looking upon her with guilt and sorrow. His eyes darted back and forth from her wet eyes to where her hands laid across her stomach.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed, taking a step closer.

“Stop apologizing!”

“I don’t know what else to say. I never wanted this and I’m sure you never thought that your life would play out like this either.”

Daenerys let out an affronted gasp. Tyrion worked with her constantly to temper this side of her. The Targaryen blood that flared up in an instant and caused her to lash out until she’d calmed.

_'Count to 10. Count to 100 if you have to…just stop for a moment before you decide to burn innocent people alive or alienate those who want to help you.’_

She kept counting until the steam clouding her head dissipated minutely and it was enough for her to hear the remainder of Jon’s tirade before she could explode into her own.

“-what would he be called?” He paced the width of the room again, shouting more at himself than at her. Still, he faced her with crazy eyes that were wide with panic like he wanted her to answer. “I refuse to have my son crowned the next Bastard of Winterfell. So, then what? Would he be a ‘Storm’? Bastard of another name? Maybe ‘Waters’ since his mother will sit on the Iron Throne-”

Dany’s laughter stopped him abruptly. It was harsh and condescending.

“Is that what you’re worried about? That it’ll be a bastard?”

It was Jon’s turn to look affronted.

“I swore I’d never father a bastard child.” He shook his head as he spoke in near whispers. “It’s not a gift any child wants.”

“Of all the things you could be worried about! It doesn’t matter whether we’ll even be alive to raise this child after we storm King's Landing or whether we'll make good parents or not. We don’t even know if I can carry a child to term!” Her voice broke as she got louder.

There it was again. That vulnerability that made Jon’s chest ache for her.

“It’s just a name. I don’t want to hear any more about it.” She then turned her back to him in dismissal.

Jon didn’t know whether he was more offended by the way she ignored his reservations; or, by the way she turned her back to him as if he were a mere subject and they were not having the most intimate, life changing conversation he could imagine. He took a few shallow breaths before he spoke.

There were times when he watched Daenerys. Her eyes would flicker and he could almost see the dragon’s blood roiling. He knew her tells and could recognize when she was trying to calm herself down. More often than she would like to admit, she lost the fight between reason and anger. The Targaryen fire boiling over and showcasing itself without warning or boundaries. Jon could not recognize it in himself until his true parentage was revealed. He rarely lost his temper. A Stark through and through. Yet, there were moments when flames singed at the edges of reason. Could he douse them before he was engulfed? He heard her facetious chuckle once more. He looked on as she walked away from him. He took another breath, exhaling from his nostrils.

_‘It’s just a name.’_

And then he exploded.

Daenerys jumped in fright, spinning around to face him.

“I beg your pardon?” Her eyebrows were furrowed in disbelief at his outburst.

“You heard what I said. That’s bullshit, Daenerys.”

Her jaw tightened as he repeated himself.

“You’ll watch the way you address your Queen or you’ll find yourself wishing that you had.”

“Oh, lay off it, Dany. You can’t hide behind your titles...not this time.” He felt his legs carry him in a circle like he could walk out the fire inside him. “You can’t pretend that my entire life wouldn’t have been different if I’d been a Stark…or even a Targaryen for that matter.”

“Jon.” She tried, her voice firm and teetering on the edge of restraint.

He came to a stop upon hearing her voice. Squaring off with her.

Daenerys knew better than anyone that once the spark ignited into a flame, it was hard to stop and impossible to control. It needed to burn out on its own.

“Don’t.” His voice was low and gravelly; a large contrast to the yelling he’d been doing.

“Jon, it’s-”

“Don’t try to placate me like you don’t add twenty worthless names behind your given one to make yourself seem more important.”

And that was it. He fizzled out. His chest deflating and shoulders dropping. She noticed that he upheld his defensive posture, though. He knew where the line was and understood he’d soared over it. The accusation hung heavily in the air and he immediately wanted to apologize. Guilt took over the ashes that settled within him as he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly beneath her coat. An ardent apology was on the tip of his tongue when the door flung open. Still, they held each other’s gaze, refusing to look away from one another.

“Your Grace?”

Tyrion stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as his eyes darted between the lovers.

“The Unsullied were moments away from tearing down the door in fear of your safety. I’m sure that whatever issue you have with Jon Snow can be solved amicably…at a lower volume…and preferably without fire.”

Jon thought about why he was really angry with Daenerys. All he could think about were the men that spat ‘bastard’ at him as if it were a disease. He felt nothing but betrayal at the way she invalidated his lifelong pain in four words. Red blurred his vision as he continued to stare her down.

“Please, don’t all speak at once. It’ll be difficult to understand you.” Tyrion probed.

Jon sighed, his eyes finally shifting to the advisor before they landed back on Dany. Did her Hand already know? Was this news that they were sharing? He opened his mouth but Daenerys beat him to it. His body tensed as she started. He was prepared to defend his position passionately.

“Well…I was going to propose marriage to the Warden of the North but _Lord_ Snow seems to take issue with the imbalance of power and the legitimization of names in this relationship.”

“Daenerys knows that-“ Jon stopped, his eyes flying toward his queen as he processed what she had actually said.

He looked at Tyrion just so he could have a moment to collect himself. The surprise evident on the Hand’s face did little to help center him.

“Propose marriage?” Jon bowed his head with a furrowed brow. An unexpected enthusiasm crept into his voice.

“I said _was_.” The bite was clear in her tone.

“Dany…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for my benefit.” Her eyes rolled as she spoke.

He let out another sigh and Tyrion smirked in his direction. Neither of them were going to make it easy for him.

“I'm not. I really am sorry.” He looked down at his feet momentarily before continuing. “But you also have to listen to what I'm saying. Do you remember when we met?”

She gave him a small nod so he continued.

“Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen is intimidating enough and then you add all of your accomplishments on top of that…” Jon shook his head with a sigh. “All I have to show for my life’s work is a bastard’s name. Even if I could’ve come to Dragonstone with a bunch of titles, the first thing anyone has ever known about me is that my father wouldn’t claim me as his own. Bran and Sam figuring out that I’m a Targaryen doesn’t change that. Why would I want that for my son, Dany?”

“I’m sorry. Am I missing something?” Tyrion piped up, his features scrunched in confusion.

Jon deferred to Dany, bowing his head slightly.

“I’m with child…” Daenerys threw out, barely casting a glance at Tyrion. “And the father of my child doesn’t want to marry me.”

There was a flash of insecurity on her face and then it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Jon couldn’t help but dwell on it.

“I never said that.” He argued, trying to stamp out her fears.

“No…you didn’t. It was implied from your manic reaction at the thought of having a bastard child.” She answered calmly. “One would have thought that your first action would be to marry his mother.”

Jon shrugged shyly, suddenly very aware that the Queen’s Hand was in the room.

“I didn’t think that marriage was something you wanted.”

“You also failed to ask.” She chastised and Jon could tell that over anything else, he’d hurt her feelings.

He looked quickly at Tyrion and then back at Dany, bashfully taking a step forward.

“I thought it’d be a bit more romantic that this.” He purposefully shifted his gaze to Tyrion again.

Daenerys tucked in her lips trying to hide a smile.

“I thought that Ser Davos might ask Tyrion in your stead.” She joked and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“If I had known this was happening I might have asked him to come along.”

At that she smiled, bowing her head to hide it. Jon rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture and it took everything in her not to show any outward signs of the anxiety that she felt.

“Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, rightful Queen of the Andals and First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms-“

“Jon…” Her face was heating up with embarrassment. Missandei's spiel was the last thing she wanted to hear after the argument they'd just had.

He just smiled and took a knee in front of her.

“I’m not done.” He chuckled taking her hand. “Right...the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, the love of my life and mother of my children-“

“Children?!” She squeaked, her voice thick and her eyes wet from the effort that he was going through.

Jon simply grinned at her, kissing her hand lightly.

“Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Her eyes glimmered with tears as she rubbed her fingers over Jon’s. She wanted desperately to say something smart. Anything to maintain her composure. Then he let out a small plea. A sigh from his lips that barely touched her ears.

“Dany, please.”

She thought about the last time a man was begging for her on his knees like this. Her mind wandered to how different her life would have been if she'd answered that cry for help. She surely wouldn't be sitting in Winterfell, so close to the Iron Throne that she could almost taste it. She certainly wouldn't be carrying the child of the only other living Targaryen. Or maybe she would. For that, she was eternally grateful that one of the last things Drogo did for her was extinguish the fire that tried to take hers. Jon was no Viserys and as long as he looked her with eyes full of love, she would always answer his calls for her.

“It would be my pleasure.”

Jon got to his feet quickly, cradling her face and wiping unshed tears with the pads of his thumbs. He leaned in to cover her mouth with his when a throat cleared next to them. Dany’s eyes closed and she exhaled through her nose.

“I’m just going to go but congratulations both on the engagement and the child. I’ll immediately cancel my plans after dinner to fret over your line of succession and I suppose I should warn the Unsullied that they should stand down the hall and ignore any noises that-”

“Tyrion,” Daenerys warned with her eyes locked on Jon. “Get out.”

He nodded and quietly slipped out of the door. When it finally clicked shut, she leaned forward, her forehead touching his lips.

“Sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“It wasn’t your hand that interrupted.” She grimaced.

“No, but as of a few moments ago you agreed to spend the rest of your life with me. Gods willing, it’s a long one.”

“Forever sounds pretty good to me.”

“Forever it is, then.” He promised, kissing her again.

 It was a dangerous promise to make, even if it weren't an impossible one. However, nothing would stop them from wanting it wholeheartedly.

“Jon?” She whispered between them. “I’m scared.”

He nodded and searched his brain for anything to quell her fears.

“I wish you weren’t. I wish I could take that away.” Jon lamented.

“Just promise that you won’t be angry. With whatever happens…just…I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that.” She took a step back, shaking her head.

“I do, though. Between the two us, we’ve made the impossible happen way more than it probably should have.”

“You mean defeating the Night King?”

He nodded, taking her face in his hands and closing the gap once more.

“Let's not forget that I died once." He raised his eye brows and grinned.

It didn't make her feel any better but she knew that he hated talking about it so his optimism was appreciated. She hummed without comment, tucking herself under his chin.

"I’m also looking at the Mother of Dragons. The Unburnt. We’ve both done things that the realm could only imagine in its most fanciful songs and children's stories.”

“That doesn’t mean that it can’t all go wrong now.” She leaned back to meet his eyes.

“That’s true but…you didn’t even think you could get pregnant and we’ve done that.” He smiled, causing her to mimic him.

“And what if that’s all we’ve done? What if we never even get to meet this child?”

“I refuse to believe that.” He shrugged. “You’re already with child which means they really want to be here. They fought through the odds to get to this point so what's a few more months.”

She chuckled.

“I guess you’re right. We’ve done what Mirri Maz Duur said was impossible.”

Jon smiled at his ability to get through to her and moved his hands to touch her stomach.

“We have...and he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”


	2. JORAH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go for Jorah! Not as baby centered as I originally planned but I think that Jorah's relationship with Dany as the only person that's been with her since the beginning is important and we definitely didn't see enough of that in season 7. So, tell me your thoughts. I'm eager to hear them.

Drogon took a step forward, arching his neck around Daenerys, and screeched in Jorah’s direction. Jorah flinched and stopped walking, holding his hands up in surrender.

“It’s alright, Ser Jorah. I think you just startled him.”

Jorah moved slower than he usually would as he approached the Khaleesi.

She was whispering to the dragon in Valyrian, trying to calm him as Jorah got closer.

He came to a halt behind her and watched as she stroked Drogon. It still did very little to make him unafraid. Her small body was dwarfed by his large head. Jorah remembered holding him and his brothers as babies and looking upon them in equally as much fear as awe. Even when they could do no more than suckle from their mother’s breast, he did not ever want to find himself in a position where they thought him an enemy.

As if she could read his mind, Daenerys spoke up.

“Jon thinks he knows that I’m with child.” She turned to face him, one hand cradling her small bump. “Don’t take Drogon’s little display personally. He’s been unusually protective.”

Jorah nodded, unsure of what to say. Lately he had spent more time in the company of Winterfell’s surly men than he had with the Khaleesi and the members of her khalasar.

“I came to check on you. There has been much activity around you, Your Grace. Especially recently…with the news of the baby. It’s been difficult to find time where we could speak.”

“You mean, in addition to the time that you’ve spent avoiding me?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You know that I’ll always make time for you.”

Jorah shrugged in response.

“You shouldn’t have to, Your Grace. You have a family now.”

She gave him a sad smile and turned to watch Drogon race around the small towers of Winterfell.

“It’s not the same.” She sighed, clasping her hands together underneath her belly.

Jorah walked closer, stopping when they were shoulder to shoulder.

“They weren’t there for Viserys then Rhaego and Drogo. You’re one of the only people to have seen my son.” Daenerys looked up at him and spoke softly. “I love everyone here and they love me but…you’re the only one that understands. You've been there for me since the beginning.”

Jorah nodded again, searching for the right thing to say. While he understood, it was different for him than it was for her. In many ways, his life was inextricably tied with hers. So much so that he couldn’t begin to untangle it even if he wanted to. He looked up one day and realized that he was left with no one but her.

Daenerys, on the other hand, had amassed an entire family while he stood back and watched. The lost young girl with an abusive older brother that looked to him for wisdom and protection had grown into a woman that simply wanted him around for nostalgic comfort. Her husband came to her with siblings and a family home, not to mention a family name that matched her own. She found a hand that treated her like the niece that he never had an opportunity to mentor and the little sister that he always wanted to champion. With a baby on the way, Jorah didn’t know where he fit in her life anymore.

“Your Grace…”

Dany shook her head, blinking slowly as she took a deep breath.

“Everything is changing so quickly…sometimes I wish I could slow it down…go back…”

Jorah frowned at that. How could she possibly want to go backwards when she was so close to the pinnacle of her life’s fight?

“Your Grace, I believe that’s just fear. It’s natural to be afraid with so many changes happening at the same time.”

She turned to him with wet eyes, letting out a harsh breath.

“Well in that case, I’m petrified.” Her eyes widened with truth. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this type of fear in my life. I’m absolutely terrified of what’s to come.”

Jorah wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms.

“We’ve already fought the dead and we’re more than ready to march south. Cersei Lannister has never been an equal match against you.”

Daenerys shook her head imperceptibly.

“I’m not scared of Cersei.” She rubbed at the unseen swell beneath her heavy coat. “I’ve been here before, pregnant with a husband promising to win me the crown I want. I had finally found my safe place. I feasted on love and hope and security.”

“Are you saying that you would rather be in the middle of that khalasar with Drogo than where you are now? In control?” His face betrayed his disbelief.

Her ‘no’ came slowly as she focused on the ground beneath her feet. 

“Now, I’ve been home. I know a love that I wasn’t conditioned to feel but…you know what’s different this time?”

“No, Your Grace. I don’t.”

“I feel hopeful. With Drogo I was content. Every day that was good was enough and I didn’t dare want for more. I dreamt of the Iron Throne…longed for it but…I don’t think that I was ever hopeful enough to think that I might actually get it until he wanted it for me.” She shook her head at her own complacence. “Now I feel hope. That’s what scares me. I thought the Gods to be cruel the first time but…I won’t survive it, Ser Jorah. I can’t.”

“What do you mean?”’

“I’ve already lost two of my dragons. If Jon or-“ A sob left her mouth before she could choke it down. Her hand flew to her mouth to silence the ones that followed. “I won’t come back from that. Not again. This all would’ve been for naught.”

Jorah grabbed her, hoping that his touch would jolt the fear out of her.

“None of that is going to happen. We’re all here to keep you from falling.” Jorah turned her face to look upon his. “Do you think that any of the thousands of people here would let anything happen to you? Or His Grace for that matter?”

Daenerys was quiet, listening to the frenzy in his voice.

“What happens next is going to change the realm forever.” He stated with certainty. “And I can’t wait to bear witness to it.”

Daenerys took a step back, turning for a moment to gather herself when his words stopped her in her place.

“Bear witness?” Her eyebrows came together in confusion.

“Khaleesi…”

The old moniker that he once used faithfully now felt fraudulent falling from his lips.

“Where are you going?” Her posture straightened as she waited for his answer.

“After I see to it that you’re safe on the Iron Throne with your babe in your arms, I thought it might be appropriate to return to Bear Island with young Lyanna. I’ll never be a lord again, but she should have family near. She reminds me of you and I know from your trials that a young girl could use loyal family.”

“You’re leaving me?”

He could see the heartbreak on her face before the words ever left her mouth. For a moment he felt guilt for disappointing her.

“I’m always at your service, Your Grace, but…for now, you don’t need me.”

“I’ll always need you, Ser Jorah. My circle has grown but you’ll always be the first person that it opened for.”

Jorah nodded in understanding but didn’t respond. Every single day that he had spent by her side was spent practicing restraint. Now wasn’t the time to throw it all in the wind. He would promise her things he could never give and she would never accept them if he did.

“What will I do without you?”

“I’ll only be a raven away. I’ll come running when you need me to. Always. You know that.”

Daenerys bowed her head, reading between the lines.

“I’m sorry that this has been difficult for you. I’m sorry that I can’t return the love that you’ve wanted.”

“Don’t apologize, Your Grace. You’ve given me more love than I deserved…even if it wasn’t the kind that I desired.” Jorah sighed, twisting his hands together. “Going home will be good for me. I need to start a new chapter of my life.”

“Maybe a family?” She inquired with raised eyebrows.

“I’ll leave the family starting to you.” He chuckled with a shy grin crossing his face. “I think it may be too late for me.”

She opened her mouth to respond when Jon called for her from a few meters away. She looked off at her husband but when her eyes met Jorah’s once more, he could see the apprehension in them.

“I won’t disappear. I promise. We have to get you that throne first, remember?”

She sighed with a smile on her face nodding at him before she turned to make her way back inside of the Castle. She had only taken a few steps before she stopped and turned back to Jorah.

“You’ll come back for the baby, won’t you?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Daenerys closed the gap between them once more, placing a gentle hand on his cheek and a soft kiss on his lips. As she backed away, she met his eyes with thankfulness shining from her own.

“I do love you, Ser Jorah.” She grinned with squinted eyes, one of her hands in his.

“I know.” He nodded his head slowly. “I love you, too and I’m happy to say that that love is more…appropriately placed these days.”

Daenerys chuckled and shook her head.

“No more hiding from me, alright?”

“No more hiding.” He agreed.

With a final bow of her head, she let her hand slip from his and turned to meet her husband. Daenerys took one last look at Jorah before disappearing into the castle walls. She found it poetic in a way. She felt safe in Jon’s arms as he led her away but there was Jorah, watching as always. Just as he had when she was a small thirteen-year-old girl with only the gift of stone eggs to her name. She felt safer cradling her unborn child knowing his sword would always be watching her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a book quote from Dany, before she begs Mirri Maz Duur to save the khal using magic, that really influenced the way that this chapter went. I love the quote so much that it made me want to delve into Dany's insecurities about hopelessness and that fear of everything falling apart when it feels perfect. I think realistically the only person that she could have this type of honest conversation with is Jorah. I also know that, with the series ending, we don't really have time for that kind of dialogue so showcasing a vulnerable Daenerys was important to me. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and here is that quote for you! 
> 
> "Her words were a knife through Dany's breast. What had she ever done to make the gods so cruel? She had finally found a safe place, had finally tasted love and hope. She was finally going home. And now to lose it all..."
> 
> (Also...did anyone notice that I lowkey killed another dragon?)


End file.
